# Page 2 | KeyCreator Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 2 - Is KeyCreator the right 3D CAD solution for you? Explore 114 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/9512/KeyCreator/reviews --- KeyCreator 4.5 (114) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/9512/KeyCreator/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 2 - Reviews of KeyCreator ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 26-50 of 114 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use SK Scott K. Engineering Manager Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### " Great Product, packed with everything you will ever need." January 31, 2023 5.0 I have been very pleased with this product and have been a power user for most of my career in Engineering. I have trained many users through the online University. Designers can work to their level of comfort and utilize past experience in other software to achieve the desired results with KeyCreator. So, if you are familiar with using a design tree approach, 2D extrusions, sheets and vectors, it doesn't matter, they are all available . Pros I have been using this software for over 30 years. From the early days of Cadkey, where you had to construct your solids by building wire frames, to the current KeyCreator product where you are designing with real solid elements. The software has the power to handle the most complicated of designs with the simplicity of tasks that achieve the design. Menus are intuitive, and well organized. The best feature by far is that you only have 1 file to manage. Your solid model, assembly and drawing are stored in 1 file. In these days of remote locations and outsourcing having to manage multiple files, as is the case in other software, is a treacherous road. Cons The biggest shortcoming in my opinion has been the software help. Sometimes the self-contained help search in the software can get you out of trouble, but more often than not it is rather geeky. The online support, examples and tutorials are great, they need to be expanded into the fringes of the software where reside some very powerful tools. Reason for choosing KeyCreator I must admit that SolidWorks has done a great job indoctrinating the Engineering majors at many Universities. We do have some seats as it is a necessity to attract talent. Ultimately, we have 90 % of our files in KeyCreator. Firstly, any KeyCreator design can be modified without having to reference a design tree or be knowledgeable about the previous designers' methodology. Secondly, there is only 1 file to secure in your document vault. The issues of having the wrong revision solid model, or assembly just do not happen. Review Source TC Todd C. President Business Supplies and Equipment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Started with CADkey 3.0 and still using the software under KeyCreator name" January 27, 2023 4.0 KeyCreator is an essential software package for our custom tool & die shop. Since most of our work is unique and doesn't often get repeated (if ever), it's critical for our CAD software to get the job done efficiently and accurately. For the most part, KeyCreator fulfills that mission, with a few glaring gaps. The fact that it's non-parametric removes the worry that by changing one feature I risk screwing up other aspects of my geometry unintentionally.I do wish that the KeyCreator development team were more approachable with bug fixes and functionality improvements, and that some of the issues I have reported through the years would actually see improvements rather than being completely disregarded. Pros We have found that using a non-parametric 3D CAD modeling software in our custom tool & die work is preferable in most instances to using a parametric modeler like Solidworks. There have been a number of times we have received Solidworks or geometry in other parametric formats from our customers, and when they made a minor change to something it screwed up other aspects of the geometry because they didn't have their constraints set correctly. The worse thing is that they didn't know it, and I discovered it during my work. In the custom tooling world, those kinds of things can be catastrophic.In general terms, I have always found the interface to be reasonably easy to use, although there are some things that could be drastically improved. Most of the basic entity generation functionality works largely as I learned how to do things as a draftsman on the drafting table, so the process is generally straightforward. Cons The feature generation and documentation (drilled and/or tapped holes, fasteners, etc.) is mostly an imported functionality set from the old Draftpak suite they imported into CADkey years ago. They have done very little to improve it, it's pretty buggy and there are some large holes in the way it works. Compared to other CAD software I've played with, KeyCreator's functionality in this area is substandard. Like most software these days, the documentation and help system are terrible, and often haven't even been updated to match the current version of the software. Reason for choosing KeyCreator Wanted a non-parametric solid modeler with a full feature set, and KeyCreator comes closer than the other options I've found over the decades. Review Source ST Stan T. Owner Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Long Time User, First Time Caller" January 24, 2023 5.0 It has been good. Pros It is very good for creating part geometry and features quickly. Most of the popular neutral formats can be imported and exported, and a few of the most popular native formats can also be imported. You can easily drop assemblies in to a new model in free space and locate them quickly with just a few steps. The way you use the software may be totally different than the way another user works with it. The way you access tools and features is user configurable. Compared to the most popular packages, it is less expensive per seat and the AUC is also less expensive but in some cases the functionality is quite a bit better. Cons I’m not a big fan of the animation feature, but aside from that I can’t find anything I don’t really like. I’ve been a user since 1991 so I am kind of institutionalized. The software fits my needs and always has. I am probably using about 30% of it’s capabilities, but that’s OK because I can get things that I need done, done quickly while only occasionally utilizing many of the available features. Reason for choosing KeyCreator I could never recoup the training time it would take to get as good at creating designs with the packages I evaluated. I instantly hated them due to all the steps necessary to create a simple plate with four holes in it. In some cases I could not remove a hole if I wanted to. They all failed the bracket test, some more spectacularly than others. Review Source SB Steve B. Mfg. Eng Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Satisfied aerospace user" February 13, 2023 5.0 KeyCreator is the right product for our aerospace job-shop environment. It is fast and accurate. We receive data in many formats from many customers, so quick, accurate CAD is a must. Pros The mathematics is flawless. We rely on KeyCreator for all our calculations and operation sheets for 5-axis milling machines. it is correct every time. The solid modeling is easy and consistent. Cons We cannot make continuing section views except from a main view (you cannot section a section view). The dimensioning, though always correct, can be a little glitchy at times and may lose associativity (rarely). The dimension annotations are improving but can continue to be developed. Review Source KB Ken B. Tool Maker Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Intuitive and Easy to Learn" January 24, 2023 5.0 Pros I have used KeyCreator for 15 yrs and one of the most important things to me is the ease of translation importing and exporting file types and how fast the program allows me to work. I use KC to design progressive stamping dies as well as custom machinery. Designing in 3D and being able to see my projects from all aspects is critical to my business. KeyCreator provides the direct drawing experience that makes 3D CAD easy to learn and use. Cons Having used KeyCreator for so long, I have found ways of working around almost all obstacles. I do not have any problems with the software. Reason for choosing KeyCreator I chose KeyCreator for its direct modeling capability. Coming from a 2D CAD program to the 3D modeling in KeyCreator is an easy transition. Review Source GR Gregory R. Sr. CAD Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Reliable and versatile CAD software" January 31, 2023 5.0 I have been a long term user of Key Creator (17 years) I originally learned CAD on AutoCad and found the solid modeling in KeyCreator to be much more fluid. The ability to manipulate solids on the fly is a big part of what I love about the software. With my use primarily being sheet metal, unbending and creating flat cut files is extremely easy. Inputting bend allowances and corner reliefs is simple and allows easy exportation of flat DXF files to use for manufacturing.The support is excellent when needed and they have a great option to submit customer requested features. Pros The ease of importing and healing customer supplied files makes preparing cut files to be used in manufacturing sheet metal parts extremely simple. It is capable of importing many mainstream file types and is very dependable. Cons A couple of the negatives of this software are the inability to merge entire native files or to copy complete drawing layouts into other native files. I also hope that the ability to export multi-page PDF files is added to the features, as of now the need to export single page PDF files and then combined them in a separate software to create drawing packages. Review Source JS Joe S. PRESIDENT Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Keycreator review" November 16, 2018 5.0 I have seen many benefits from keycreator and one that really comes to mind is the translators built in. I have been able to take work from many different customers using many different CAD programs. Most all documentation these days must be in electronic format so the ability to send files back to my customers which they can easily open I think has been a big plus. I use Keycreator on a daily basis for many different kinds of projects and it has never failed me. I have to say that there are many design projects I would have never been able to take on if it was not for the ability to work with just about any format out there as well as the ability to send back files to my customers that they can work with. Kubotec is constantly updating and improving Keycreator and over the years I have seen great new features added which save me a lot of time and that is kind of the whole point saving time since we all know time is money. Pros There are a few very powerful features in Keycreator which I use constantly one being box move the other being dimension driven editing these two features save me a lot of time in the kind of design work I do. I also like the fact that it comes with translators built in, enough of them so that I have never had an issue importing files from my customers. Cons For the kind of work I do I can not honestly say I have run into any cons with Keycreator I have been using it since about 1998 it was called something else back then but it is the same program and despite all the other CAD software out there I never considered switching to anything else. Keycreator is a perfect fit for the kind of design work I use it on it is very reasonably priced tech support has always been awesome. I really can not say I have any complaints about it. Review Source DS Dean S. Owner / Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Legacy Tool LLC" July 17, 2019 3.0 I do much of my modeling with KeyCreator and have for decades even back to Cadkey Dos. Most recently, it seems like KeyCreator has been maintaining translator for other cad systems but really not developing its own features and new technology to compete. It makes me wonder what are the goals at KC going forward? Pros Ease of use is a big plus. The functions aren't buried under sub menu after sub menu after pull down like other systems however I do notice other systems are getting better with that now. KC Direct modeling makes modeling quite quick. Cons Drawing layouts are not very robust and the rendering and associativity never gets fixed from one release or Service pack to another. the drawing layout is what communicates the model to the manufacturing department and if it isn't trustworthy, everyone involved is on edge. many times the system won't show me geometry and the only way I can get it back is to save as a junk file to be safe and then re-open the file and it shows up. The system is a bit quirky that way in model space but I find that Drawing layout has even more of these quirks I need to work around. If I move a detail from one level to another generally it means my layout is messed up from there on. I find I have to be very intentional about having every detail and sub level established ahead of making layouts or its a bunch of work to get the layouts back in order. Associativity is lost in those instances as well. some functions and trims I would like to do on solids either won't work, or corrupt my solid. Review Source DS David S. Inside Technical Sales Plastics Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent tool with extremely good value." January 24, 2023 4.0 I first used CADKey in 1993 while still in university. I always found it to be a powerful modeler and drafting tool. I started using KeyCreator in 2014 (after a 18 year break from CADKey) the interface had not changed much and the new drafting "mode" was a great improvement to the software. Modeling had improved but compared to high end software not as the same level with functionality and easy of use. Overall I would prefer to use KeyCreator as it does provide excellent value for it's capabilities. Pros Many capabilities as with the high end CAD systems (NX, Catia V5, Creo).Easy to use.Easy to modify models. Cons Not feature/history base (not parametric) modeling.Some tasks require more step (commands) to achieve the same result with one step (command). Review Source TG Thomas G. Owner Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The One Man Shop" January 24, 2023 5.0 I am a self employed engineering consultant with minimal needs. KeyCreator completely meets my needs. Likely half of my efforts wind up at a 3D print shop either for conceptual items or in some cases a finished product. Pros Most of what I produce is an .stl file headed to a 3D printer in order to sell a concept or to simply print a component or assembly. Cons Nothing comes to mind. I've grown up with KeyCreator in its present form and what ever it was twenty five years ago. I have never used other similar programs (Pro-Engineer - etc.) so I don't have any way to compare other programs. I just kinda grew up with CadKey and what ever was there before. My first experience was with a NASA 3D system back in the 1988 time frame. It was a monstrous pain in the ass. After I retired from NASA in 1994 I purchased a 2D system, Drafix, and was quite impressed with the simplicity of that system. About this time I purchased CadKey and have simply grown up with it over the past thirty years or so. Review Source SH Sean H. Senior Design Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Essential Job-Shop CAD Software" January 23, 2023 4.0 Pros We really enjoy that we can import and export many different file types. We receive many different file types from vendors and are required to send out different file types to our customers. Cons There are several bugs that have not been addressed over multiple different versions. We usually find work-arounds for them, but software maintenance is a concern. There are also features that are not present that would be useful, such as easy to use animation and collision detection. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer President Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "CadKey - KeyCreator Functionality" November 20, 2018 5.0 CadKey was the first CAD program I used, and I am partial to it. We use it for 2D drawing and 3D projections, as well as output for CAM programs (primarily waterjet and laser) and it works very well for us. It also provides a very quick means of checking machining trigonometry and jig/fixture design. Pros Having used KeyCreator since the 1980s when it was called CadKey, I appreciate the consistency of the platform and the power of the drawing components. Although the user interface evolves with new versions, it is always possible to set up a new installation with previous interfaces. We also use other CAD/CAM software, but find that KeyCreator is preferable for coding waterjet and laser programs. Cons The odd glitch in the program can be irritating, but customer support has been able to provide work-arounds. The cost is a major consideration, and in the last couple of years we have moved to a 2D version to compensate. Review Source NC Nick C. Quality Engineer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very User Friendly" January 31, 2023 4.0 Pros Very easy to use. I like that it is compatible with multiple file types. Cons The main issue I have is the the online university. The tutorials are helpful but the order is chaotic. I wish it were more organized step by step, from the beginner stage and gradually get more advanced.Specifically there is one feature I think could be added. On a folded model there should be a way to change the sheet thickness without unfolding and re-folding after extruding the sheet. Review Source MG Michael G. Partner Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "KeyCreator is my secret weapon" July 10, 2019 5.0 I design and build custom machinery in the process industry. Projects include complete chemical plant design with piping, tanks and valves as a 3D model, process and mechanical machinery with 100's of parts, test instrumentation, and intellectual property disclosures. As a user of KeyCreator from when it was known as "Cadkey" until now, it has been my secret weapon for over 30 years. My customers are amazed at the quality of work and the speed at which it is generated. Pros Operations are performed with very few keystrokes. Very flexible customization of mouse buttons, keyboard asignments, and desktop. Easy to write and assign macros to keystrokes. Very efficient detailing capabilities. Great solid modeling features such as dynamic editing of a dimension. The part updates (parametrically) and the dimension can be erased without affecting the part. All types of push and pull, rotate, etc. editing of parts. Powerful importing of parts from other Cad programs (and corrective tools if the geomtry is flawed). Parts end up as pure geometry and are treated as native KeyCreator parts. Level control by nested tree structure. Undo history. Very extensive reference control to create, convert, and display. But at the end of the day very FAST to create and edit parts. Cons The interface is a little old fashioned. Review Source DBW D. Bruce W. Process and Tooling Engineer Plastics Used the software for: 2+ years ### "KeyCreator Review" June 27, 2019 5.0 KeyCreator allows me to review part designs and mold designs from different vendors with out the need of multiple CAD programs to read the different file formats. I have had only one problem and it is self inflected and has to do with product liscensing which at times can be confusing. Pros KeyCreator has been used by our company for around 30 years in reviewing plastic part and mold designs. It has also been used for fixture and gauge designs and mold designs. I like the software for its ease of use and ability to make changes easily. One of its greatest advantages is its ability to work with both Auto Desk Inventor and Pro-E Creo native files which are the main softwares used by our engineering and design staff. Cons Personally I have nothing negative to say about the KeyCreator software. What causes us the most issues is that our engineers are not able to open KeyCreator files in the software they use, specifically Auto Desk Inventor and Pro-E Creo. Step files must be provided and since KeyCreator is not parametric based, the other softwares do not work well with the step files. In our situation the KeyCreator step files are considered dumb files. Review Source dB derek B. engineer Oil & Energy Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Idea to implementation at a rapid pace" January 27, 2023 5.0 For 22 years I have found Keycreator the easiest platform to learn and teach to our college interns. Pros Importation from our OEM data to creation of accurate repair methods is crucial to our fast-paced customer-driven business. The free form solid modeling approach provided by Keycreator allows us to develop ideas at that very rapid pace. Cons Some of the linear and diameter dimension functions are non-intuitive at times. Review Source AF Andy F. Designer Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Designers Dream" June 26, 2019 5.0 I design and draw for the Joinery industry, and we have proven over and over again that the more detail we draw, the more we are able to see the problems before they manifest in the real world. It may be seen by the layman as an unnecessary exercise in the manufacturing process, but as a professional it is a critical part of the process. We would never go back to the trial and error method of the past which relied heavily on the experienced craftsman. We feel that modern joinery should be more like engineering in wood. Pros I can create engineering grade designs incredibly quickly, then share them with others. The cutting section feature shows people exactly what is going on inside a design. Cons Sometimes the Layout interface is quite challenging, especially if there are a lot of sections. The software appears to check layouts, or redraw layouts at start up, even if the programme is opened in model mode. I have suggested many times that ...as a user, it could be helpful to only redraw/ refresh a layout when it is selected to be viewed/edited. Review Source MT Michael T. Sr. Welding Engineer Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Tool!" January 24, 2023 5.0 I started with CADKey back in 1994. I learned by wire frame and advanced through to solid modeling.Most of my knowledge is from using the software and others to help me learn other tricks.It is nice to have so many ways to do the same thing.Some ways are faster but get the same result. Pros I love how the solid model works. Much better than surfaces. I like to know how my parts are fitting together and make sure they are not interfering with each other. Cons Sometimes it is difficult to know what the software is looking for without a little digging.Sometimes it is trial and error to know how it is looking at what I want to do. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Information and Network Administartor Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "From IT point of view" February 1, 2019 4.0 Pros I never had a problem with KeyCreator as program neither as license manager for the old versions. adding users to access license manager easy. creating travel license for out of office easy and self managed. Cons But last version is a disaster by all mean, from point view of Tool Makers they all agreed on that also from license manager keep stopping the services on server for some reason, I opened 2 tickets and one call for support where I had to leave a message but no one called or replied back on email!!! support was better year ago. Review Source RW Rick W. Toolroom supervisor Mining & Metals Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Key creator review from wax tooling designer " January 20, 2023 3.0 Kinda on your own for training and support Pros Software is easy to use and well worth the cost Cons Support and training is not good , the updates don't really seem to improve anything . We Have a terrible time with blending radii , seems to work sometimes and others not it just seems random as to when and how it will work. Review Source JP Joe P. GM Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Long Term User of Keycreator" January 24, 2023 4.0 I have been using Keycreator since its inception. i have seen it improve over the years to a point where it can do just about anything i need it to do. Pros Easy to use and reasonably priced. import export features work with all major CAD software making revisions to designs and controlling layouts is relatively pain free. Cons Animation could be improved to be more realistic. Review Source TT Tony T. Tooling Designer / Engineering Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My Review" January 26, 2023 4.0 Work with it everyday and is a great software to use. Pros We started with the software way back when it was Cadkey. I like the ability to customize with KXL's for our tooling which reduces a lot of design / detailing time. Cons I wish all the translator's were integrated into the standard software and not an extra $$$. We can't justify this cost for just needing to translate something once or twice a year. Reason for choosing KeyCreator n/a Review Source Wayne T. Tool & Die Designer Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Key Creator - Simply Powerful" November 9, 2018 5.0 Keycreator has been my go to software for Tool and Die design for over 25 Years Pros KeyCreator - for me has been a powerful intuitive easy to use and customize software for my Tooling designs. Strong translators allow me to read all customer files . Freeform modeling with out constraints of a history tree are a designers dream. Cons I feel the " older " functions ( Draft Pak ) are lacking severely for functionality - needs a major overhaul - to many steps required for screws and fasteners - should be automated. Review Source MF Michael F. Draftsman Consumer Goods Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Keycreator" January 19, 2023 5.0 Large or small, one can draw whatever you need to. The only limit is your abilities. Pros The software is easy to use and figure out. Unlike other software, you can draw whatever you want and as many of what you want in a single file with out being constrained. Cons It is frustrating that less people use this software and that many people have never heard of it. With the abundance of translators I never have trouble communicating with third parties when the need arises though. Review Source MG Marl G. Mechanical Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "KeyCreator Review" January 24, 2023 5.0 I use KeyCreator on a daily basis for mechanical design. It allows us to design in 3D and quickly produce prints for fabrication. Pros I like the 3D design features. The software is easy to use and the customization is a plus. Cons I wish there were more detailed rendering tools. Review Source Similar Products Featured